Description:PORTABLE FIREARM RECEIVER HAVING PICCATINNY RAIL LOCKING ASSEMBLIES WITHOUT PIN FOR REMOVABLE RECEIVER

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a portable firearm, such as, for example, pistols and shoulder-fired firearms (e.g., rifles, carbines, shotguns, submachine guns, and machine carbines) having a receiver.

BACKGROUND
[0002] A receiver for a firearm is usually a removeable receiver that does not require the entire removal of the receiver in order to gain access to components (e.g., the bolt mechanism of the firearm) for disassembly and / or cleaning. However, the receiver cover when removed from its housing, exposes an annular region to facilitate access to components, such as bolt mechanism of the firearm. The receiver cover, is securely positioned (i.e., in an operating position) on the receiver housing via a first locking assembly at a front/forward region of the receiver and a second locking assembly at an aft/rear region of the receiver. The first and second locking assemblies ensures that the receiver cover is securely maintained on the receiver housing during the firing of the firearm. The first and second locking assemblies further ensures the overall structural integrity of the receiver due to the fact the force of the bolt mechanism during firing of the firearm is distributed between the receiver housing and the receiver cover.
[0003] In some firearms such as those depicted in shown in FIG. 1, 2, the design is for a removable cover. There are usually only two slider rails on the left and right which is open from the front of the slide / cover. However, there is a design flaw in that the receiver and its cover, whether removable or not, are not completely secured. That is to state, given that the receiver and it’s cover can be removed, they are structurally unsound. These removable covers so designed also suffer from the drawback of lowering the overall structural integrity of the entire firearm after repeated use as the bolt hammers the entire receiver housing post firing. Because of this, smoke or sparks come out from the receiver housing and heat is not dissipated across the entire front part / sub-section of the firearm.
[0004] Another drawback of the designs in FIG. 1 or 2 is that heat dissipation is a problem in smaller firearms such as pistols using the design.
[0005] One concerns of operating a firearm is also the extensive wear of the parts in the chamber, specifically the bolt. As the bolt engages, it impacts the receiver and its assembly, they undergo substantial and rapid wear, requiring frequent maintenance.
[0006] Another concern is that while loading the charging handle, the bolt cannot guide (move to position) smoothly and accordingly the charging handle loading and unloading is not smooth. At times, the bolt gets jammed in the charging handle rod.
[0007] Yet another concern is also that the design allows for easier aiming. In existing designs, the picatinny rail position is usually at the front side of receiver and is inbuilt in receiver housing. This makes it impractical for scope to be mounted on the firearm as the fitment of optical scope is comparatively far from the eyes. Even if the scope is mounted, the distance between front and rear sight is less. Thus, if the distance between front and rear sight is less, then alignment between two points is comparatively not precise and hence accuracy decreases. This is despite the fact that the receiver length is long.
[0008] Another concern is that the firearm should be easy to clean. In the prior art as described, it is difficult to assemble and disassemble receiver cover / slide lock with the locking pin. There are different parts used in the locking pin system sub-assembly. Hence, there are chances the locking pin gets stuck when cleaning. Additionally, different (specialized) tools are required for cleaning different parts of the receiver assembly.
[0009] Accordingly, what is needed is a design that addresses these structural issues in receiver, provides for better accuracy, is short, yet provides for an easier way to clean and maintain the firearm in a simple manner and also provides for better heat dissipation than existing firearms / prior art.

SUMMARY
[0010] It is the object of the present invention to provide a better wear resistant receiver assembly for a firearm that is easier to clean and maintain while being structurally sound.
[0011] An improved receiver design is provided, with a cover mechanism including a picatinny rail housing defining an annular region to receive a bolt of the firearm, and a removeable cover connected to the picatinny rail housing. There is a continuous slide rail from three sides including from left, right and back ensuring that receiver is fully closed allowing for better heat dissipation across the receiver / barrel unlike the prior design where smoke or sparks come out from the receiver sub-assembly. The assembly facilitates movement of the receiver cover relative to the receiver housing. The picatinny rail is separated from the receiver housing and can be inserted in the receiver with screws thus enabling easier assembly / disassembly and cleaning. The picatinny rail position is on top of the receiver housing and because of this picatinny rail can be fit with optical sights. The receiver is designed such that a distance between front and rear sights is more as compared to previous firearms with removable receivers. This greater distance held in achieving better accuracy. The separation of the picatinny rail and receiver ensures that the heat dissipation is much faster as compared to single piece picatinny rail receivers. There is no pin for the locking mechanism and hence there is little chance of it getting stuck while cleaning.
[0012] The receiver assembly is such that the picatinny rail position is exactly on top of the receiver. This makes for precise aiming of a target despite a shorter receiver length. The distance between front and rear sight is comparatively more. This allows for precise alignment and accuracy is increased.
[0013] The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0014] A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view depicting a complete conventional firearm;
[0016] FIG. 2A–2F are isometric views / sectional views of receiver construction of a firearm;
[0017] FIG. 3 depicts a firearm constructed according to the embodiments of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 4A–4D depict a firearm with picatinny rail on top of receiver construction and disassembly thereof according to embodiments of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 5A–5C illustrates receiver subassembly construction with picatinny rail mounted using screws of according to embodiments of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 6A, 6B and 6C depict an exploded isometric view of only the receiver subassembly construction according to the embodiments of the present invention,
[0021] FIG. 7A and 7B depicts an isometric view of the slide used in receiver construction according to embodiments of the present invention; and
[0022] FIG. 8 depicts a cross-sectional (front) view of the receiver picatinny rail constructed according to the embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Embodiments are described herein that describe a system for construction for the various elements of the receiver for a firearm.
[0024] FIG. 3 describes the overall construction of a complete firearm as per embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 4A – 4D depict various parts of the receiver in the construction of the firearm according to an embodiment of the present invention. The receiver in accordance with embodiments includes a receiver housing defining an annular region therein to receive components, such as, for example, a bolt mechanism of the firearm. In the receiver, there is no pin system and fastening of parts is through screws. A removable receiver cover is positioned on the receiver housing. A guide assembly, via grooves on both sides, facilitates movement of the receiver cover relative to the receiver housing between an operating position to cover the annular region, and a non-operating position to at least partially expose the annular region. The picatinny rail is mounted exactly on top of the removable receiver cover through screws. The cover mechanism for the receiver thus includes a picatinny rail housing mounted on receiver cover that covers an annular region to receive a bolt mechanism of the firearm. There is a continuous slide rail from three sides including from left, right and back ensuring that receiver is fully closed allowing for better heat dissipation across the receiver / barrel unlike the prior design where smoke came out from both the receiver sub-assembly and bolt mechanism. The assembly facilitates movement of the receiver cover relative to the receiver housing. The picatinny rail is separated from the receiver housing and can be inserted in the receiver with screws thus enabling easier assembly / disassembly and cleaning. The picatinny rail position is on top of the receiver housing and because of this picatinny rail can be fit with optical sights. The receiver is designed such that a distance between front and rear sights is more as compared to previous firearms with removable receivers. This greater distance held in achieving better accuracy. The separation of the picatinny rail and receiver ensures that the heat dissipation is much faster as compared to single piece picatinny rail receivers. There is no pin for the locking mechanism and hence there is little chance of it getting stuck while cleaning.
[0025] FIG. 4D depicts receiver construction in accordance with the present invention and depicts, a receiver, (removable) slide, (removable) picatinny rail and its mounting screws. The picatinny rail goes exactly on top of the receiver slide.
[0026] FIG. 5-8 depict the receiver (50) construction in accordance with the embodiments described herein. In the described embodiments, the components of the receiver 50 may have a material composition that facilitates practice of the embodiments disclosed herein. Such materials, for example, may comprise metals, polymers, composites, and/or combinations thereof. The receiver cover 504 and picatinny rail 502 may be composed of the same material as the receiver housing 508. Alternatively, the receiver cover 504 or picatinny rail 504 may be composed of a material having a higher strength than the receiver housing 508. Further, the thickness of the receiver cover 504, picatinny rail 502 may be the same as the wall thickness of the receiver housing 508. Alternately, the thickness of the receiver cover 504, picatinny rail 502 together, may be the same as the wall thickness of the receiver housing 508.
[0027] FIG. 5A describes the construction of receiver 50 in accordance with present invention. In FIG. 5A, 502 is picatinny rail, 504 is removable slide, 506a, 506b are parallel grooves cut in the metal to receive the slide 504 on both sides, one on top of the other. Element 506c (not shown) is a groove cut into the upper part of element 518. Element 508 depicts the housing of the receiver; element 510 depicts front part of the receiver that connects to the barrel of the firearm; element 512 is the bolt mechanism and element 514 depicts the open area till which the bolt can be moved / guided. Element 520 is the lower portion of the slide 504 that has a groove cut in such that the slide can be easily inserted into the receiver assembly 508. In FIG. 5A, the picatinny rail 502 can be mounted into the receiver cover / slide 504 using screws (not numbered) in the areas indicated.
[0028] The receiver 50 in accordance with embodiments thus includes a single locking assembly that rigidly connect the receiver housing (508), receiver cover (504) and picatinny rail (502). The front part of the locking assembly is depicted by element 512 whereas the aft / rear assembly using element 518 to lock the receiver housing 508 and the receiver cover 504, picatinny rail 502 at an aft/rear region of the receiver using 518. Such a design ensures that the receiver cover is securely maintained on the receiver housing during the firing of the firearm. The locking assembly further ensures the overall structural integrity of the receiver during the firing of the firearm by allowing the receiver cover / slide 504 and picatinny rail 502 to absorb large part of the force of the charging handle / bolt mechanism 512 during firing of the firearm without becoming dislodged from the receiver housing 508. This enhances the overall operating life of the receiver due to alleviating the force of impact by distributing the force between the receiver housing and the receiver cover 504 mounted with the picatinny rail 502. The movement of the charging handle / bolt mechanism 512 inside the receiver housing 508 is shown in FIG. 6C.
[0029] FIG. 5B further depicts a cross-sectional view of the receiver 50 with the cover completely removed in accordance with the embodiments described herein.
[0030] As illustrated in FIG. 5B, the bolt mechanism 512 can be moved along it’s driveway 512 dr. The grooves 506a /506b are clearly defined for receiving the receiver cover 504. FIG. 6C shows path 650 the charging handle / bolt mechanism 512 takes while traversing when the charging handle / bolt mechanism 512 is engaged. Element 532 is the spring connected to the bolt mechanism 512 and element 522 depicts that the spring 532 is connected from one end of the bolt mechanism to a part of the receiver housing 508 connected removable wall 542 / 518 of the receiver cover.
[0031] The receiver housing 508 has an annular region which is to receive components, such as for example, a bolt mechanism 512 of the firearm. The receiver housing 508 may be connected to the firearm at a distal end (518 / 542) of the receiver housing using one or more mechanical fasteners. The picatinny rail 502 is positioned on the receiver cover 504 which in turn is positioned on the receiver housing 508 for movement between an operating position (FIG. 4) to cover the annular region in which the bolt mechanism placed in an unlocked position. The exposure of the annular region facilitates access to components, such as, for example, the bolt mechanism 512 of the firearm. This placement facilitates access and cleaning without the necessity to disassemble the entire receiver 50 from the firearm. The receiver cover 504 (and all embodiments thereof) may have a substantially planar uppermost surface such that, in the fully closed position, the uppermost surface may planar such that it is to lie substantially coplanar with the uppermost surface of the receiver housing 508.
[0032] Embodiments, however, are not limited to such a configuration, and thus, the uppermost surface of the receiver cover 504 may have a non-planar configuration and / or one that includes a picatinny rail thereon, or with threads to mount a separate picatinny rail 502 exactly on top of the receiver cover 504. As illustrated in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in accordance with embodiments, the receiver cover 504 has a general configuration of a rectangular in longitudinal cross-section.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 6C, element 650 (dashed line) reflects the path that the charging handle / bolt mechanism takes. This path continues till the distal end of the receiver assembly housing 508 / element 518 / 542.
[0034] FIG. 7 depicts the receiver cover 504 guide assembly. The guide assembly comprises rails on the receiver cover 504 (504a, 504b, 504c, 504d, 504e, 504f) and grooves or notches 506 arranged at an upper region of the receiver housing 508 which are to receive the rails upon insertion thereof. The rails may project laterally outward from the base of the receiver cover 504 while also extending longitudinally throughout the length of the base of the receiver cover / side 504 as reflected by 504a, 504b, 504c, etc. The receiver cover 504 has space for screws to mount and secure the mounted rail 502. The grooves or notches 522 extend longitudinally throughout the length of the receiver housing 508 in such a way that facilitates support and linear movement (504d, 504e) of the receiver cover 504 relative to the receiver housing 508 along the longitudinal axis of the receiver housing 508. Particularly, such linear movement of the receiver cover 504 may follow in the direction of the notches / grooves 522. The picatinny rail 502 is mounted on top of the receiver cover 504 by screws at 504f. However, embodiments may also have a configuration (not shown) where receiver housing 508 has rails while the receiver cover 504 has grooves. In another embodiment, the receiver cover 504 is constructed to receive the rail 502 using recesses built into the receiver cover 504, like the housing 508 has groovers / recesses for receiving the receiver cover 504.
[0035] FIG. 8 depicts front view of the picatinny rail 502, which is mounted on top of the receiver cover 504 using screws. In FIG. 8, element 542 reflects the part of the receiver housing on which the receiver cover / slide 504 is placed and is not part of the picatinny rail 502.
[0036] As illustrated in FIG. 4-6, the picatinny rail 502, receiver cover / slide 504, may be completely removed from the receiver housing 508. For example, the bolt mechanism 512 may be removed / inserted with its recoil spring assembly and the charging handle, without need to disassemble or remove the entire receiver from the firearm. Moreover, such a procedure also may be performed manually without use of any mechanical tools except a screwdriver. It is also possible to clean the barrel of the firearm without removing it, through the flat(ter) angle of a cleaning rod.
[0037] In accordance with embodiments, the three-piece design of the receiver 50 that includes the guide assembly and locking assembly ensures that both the receiver housing 508, the rail 502 and receiver cover 504 encompass the carrying structure, which makes the receiver 50 more structurally robust. This enhances the structural integrity of the receiver 50 during firing of the firearm.
[0038] Alternatively, embodiments may include a receiver cover 508 having a structure that facilitates insertion from the front. If there are recesses in the rails and the notches, it is also possible to insert the receiver cover 504 from above, and push it forward or back to a final operating position. As illustrated in FIG. 7A and 7B, read with FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in accordance with embodiments, alternatively, the receiver housing 508 may comprise a receiver cover 504 including a receiver recess 522 that extends in a direction of (i.e., parallel to) the longitudinal axis of the receiver cover 504. The receiver recess 522 may include, for example, a plurality of internal threads to receive corresponding external threads of a mechanical fastener, such as, for example, a first locking bolt or screw. Embodiments, however, may include other threaded or even unthreaded configurations. In some embodiments, the rail 502 might be curved rail (mild C) mounted on top of the slide 504 in grooves.
[0039] As can be seen, the construction of the receiver 50 in accordance with the embodiments described herein uses lesser number of parts and even lesser number of moving parts, thus ensuring better heat dissipation across the entire receiver assembly / firearm. Despite using lesser moving parts, assembly / disassembly takes less time, yet the firearm can be cleaned easily without the use of specialized equipment / tools.
[0040] The terms "coupled," "attached," or "connected" may be used herein to refer to any type of relationship, direct or indirect, between the components at issue, and may apply to electrical, mechanical, fluid, optical, electromagnetic, electromechanical or other connecting means. In addition, the terms ‘first’, ‘second’, etc. are used herein only to facilitate discussion, and carry no particular chronological significance unless otherwise indicated.
[0041] While many embodiments of the present invention relating to the receiver for firearm have been illustrated, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications of the invention may occur however, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the disclosure without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. Based on the foregoing description, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the broad techniques of the embodiments can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while the embodiments have been described in connection with particular Illustrations thereof, the true scope of the embodiments should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, specification, and following claims.

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, C , Claims:CLAIMS
We Claim:
1. A receiver for a firearm, the receiver comprising:
a receiver housing 508 defining an internal region;
a receiver cover / slide 504 to be mounted on the receiver housing;
a rail 502 mounted on top of the receiver cover 504;
a guide assembly 522 that permits movement of the receiver cover 504 relative to the receiver housing 508, wherein the rail 502 is mounted exactly on top of the receiver cover 504;
a locking assembly to facilitate the receiver cover when mounted or inserted into the receiver housing 508,
the locking assembly including a recess to extend in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the receiver housing 508, and a locking fastener 518, 542 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the receiver housing 508,
wherein the locking assembly extends from the receiver cover 504 for receiving into the receiver housing recess 506, 522 when the receiver cover 504 with the rail 502 is mounted in an operating position on the receiver housing 508.

2. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the rail 502 is a picatinny rail.

3. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the rail 502 is mounted exactly on top of the receiver cover / slide 504 using screws.

4. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the rail 502 is mounted exactly on top of the receiver cover / slide 504 using recesses built into the receiver cover.

5. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the guide assembly 522 further comprises:
grooves arranged at an upper region of the receiver housing 508;
guide paths 506a, 506b, 522 on both sides of the receiver cover 504 relative to the receiver housing 508 in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the receiver cover 504 and mounted rail 502 thereon.

6. The receiver of claim 5, wherein receipt of the cover 504 into the grooves 506a, 506b, 522 are to prevent movement of the receiver cover relative to the receiver housing in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the receiver cover.

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